EPA is tentatively invoking a rarely used waiver to give one of the United States’ smoggiest cities a compliance break following concerns raised by political and business leaders.
In a newly released draft rule, the agency proposes to find that the Phoenix area would have met its latest national smog standard on time except for pollution wafting in from abroad.
If made final, the proposal would forestall added air pollution cleanup measures, a step that has provoked worries about the potential effects on growth in a booming region that’s home to more than 5 million people.
It could also revive questions raised during President Donald Trump’s first administration about whether political factors are influencing what are supposed to be straightforward technical determinations geared to protecting human health and the environment.
